1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a staple cartridge for use with a surgical instrument. More particularly, the present disclosure relates a staple cartridge with a shipping wedge for maintaining a plurality of surgical fasteners in the staple cartridge and for separating the staple cartridge from a cartridge housing of the surgical instrument.
2. Background of Related Art
Surgical devices for applying surgical fasteners to tissue are well known. Endoscopic surgical devices for applying staples, clips or other fasteners include a handle assembly for actuating the device, an endoscopic shaft, and a tool assembly at the distal end of the endoscopic shaft. Certain of these devices are designed for use with replaceable loading units housing the staples or fasteners. For example, in using an endoscopic linear stapler, the user may select a loading unit with staples of a selected size and arranged in one or more lines of staples having a selected staple line length. After firing, the user may remove the loading unit, select another loading unit of the same or different size, and fire staples from the instrument again. Endoscopic surgical staplers having four lines of staples, arranged in pairs on either side of a cut line, are known.
Loading units in the form of replaceable cartridges are known. By contrast, other devices have loading units having a tool assembly, including a cartridge, anvil, drive assembly and knife are known. Such loading units have the benefit of providing a new knife with each loading of the loading unit.
Various surgical procedures are performed with surgical instruments having disposable or replaceable loading units. These loading units generally include a movable part or parts positioned to engage a drive member of a surgical instrument. If the moving part is not properly retained in position prior to and during attachment of the loading unit to a surgical instrument, the loading unit may not properly engage the surgical instrument and, thus, may not function properly. Some surgical instruments are provided with automatic locking systems which block movement of the components of the tool assembly prior to attachment to a surgical instrument and allow free movement of the movable parts of the tool assembly once the loading unit has been properly positioned on the surgical instrument.